Hear from other small business owners just like you and see how partnering with the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC has helped them reach their potential.
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All Smiles Family Dentistry
Dr. Ghada Adhami, DDS & Owner
All Smiles Family Dentistry, a general dentist office, owned by Dr. Ghada Adhami is located in Champaign, Illinois. Dr. Adhami’s father-in-law is who first introduced her to the SBDC and the services offered in the Champaign-Urbana area. While she had been practicing dentistry for many years, she was needing assistance with the business side of things.
The SBDC was able to help Dr. Adhami with her business plan so that she could look for funding opportunities. She was also able to secure financial assistance for her website, logo design, legal services, and educational training for staff through a grant. All Smiles Family Dentistry was also one of the local businesses showcased in a SBDC photo project.
When asked about Dr. Adhami’s experience with the local SBDC, she stated that her experience was fantastic and, “They have guided me every step along the way. Their encouragement, guidance, and their services have made my business dreams come true. I hope that in the next coming years for my business to continue to grow and provide services to the Champaign-Urbana community.”
The Thrive Shift
Linea Johnson, Founder and CEO
Linea Johnson, Founder and CEO of The Thrive Shift, first heard about the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC by attending a workshop that was held at the Champaign Public Library. At first, she knew she needed assistance with setting up a new LLC but then realized that the SBDC had a wide variety of resources available to assist her along her entrepreneurial journey!
Linea was able to meet one on one with SBDC Advisor, Madeleine Wolske, to discuss setting up her business in banking, accounting, pricing, and networking. Through the SBDC, Linea also utilized the Brand Jumpstart program with Clanin Marketing where she worked with their team to create a logo and branding guidelines for her business.
When asked about her experience with the SBDC, Linea shared “My first client is a multinational company, and SBDC helped me feel prepared to work with them professionally from an operational standpoint and supported my confidence in taking on such a large client. I was able to build my business from scratch, and in four months, I have hit my revenue goals for the first year.”
As for future plans for The Thrive Shift, Linea has big ones – “With SBDC’s help, I plan to take on more large clients and grow to the point where I can hire a small team. I am excited by the enormous growth that has happened in a short period, and I hope that, with the groundwork they have helped me create, things will only continue to expand and improve.”
TocDoc
Dr. Nitin Bhosale, Founder & CMO
Dr. Nitin Bhosale, Founder & CMO of TocDoc, a mental health specialist whose office is in Savoy, Illinois, contacted the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC when he was looking for guidance on a variety of topics. Specifically, Dr. Bhosale was looking for advice on business structure, expansion, financing, and marketing.
In addition to the one-on-one services Dr. Bhosale utilized, he also participated in the Brand Jumpstart program and the Day of Design service. Through the Brand Jumpstart process, Dr. Bhosale was able to work with a local marketing agency, at no-cost, to create a logo for his business. In the Day of Design, marketing materials were created per his request by another marketing agency in the Champaign-Urbana area, also at no-cost to him.
When asked how the SBDC was able to assist him, Dr. Bhosale stated, “The SBDC offers several webinars with topics ranging in business creation, development, expansion, financing, and marketing. I attended several of them and found them very useful. I really enjoyed listening to the experts recruited by SBDC to deliver these webinars. They offered very practical solutions to my business needs and were completely free of cost. In addition, I was able to take advantage of free consultations and projects offered by several of these experts. Overall, I feel SBDC helped me connect with the right people and resources in a cost-effective manner.”
Dr. Bhosale’s future business goals include continuing to offer quality and accessible mental health services in the community but also to partner with other community mental health providers to provide collaborative and coordinated mental healthcare. As for the support from the SBDC, Dr. Bhosale “feels confident in the SBDC’s ability to help with the next phase of the business.”
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